Fuyuki Nekketsu Monogatari
by Ol'Velsper
Summary: To think, this started as a love story. I'm told that hate and love are two sides of the same coin, so this is alright too. A hot blooded story begins.


Fuyuki burned.

Kirei Kotomine and Gilgamesh found themselves overseeing a massive inferno just outside the municipal building where the Fourth Holy Grail War had tragically ended. The young man had a trembling smile on his lips, causing the Heroic Spirit at his side to confidently smirk as he observed the expression of joy on Kotomine's face.

"Kotomine, now do you understand what you are?"

They could distantly hear the moans of the damned. The flood of tar that had poured out of the black sun high above the battleground had done its vile deed. Having now caught aflame, the sea of mud had converted into deadly fire.

"Y-yes," The young priest stammered, expression filled with awe as he focused on the sight. He embraced his body, trying to contain the filthy, twisted joy that was rising deep within him. "I thank you for this gift, King of Heroes."

The priest's voice, choked with emotion, came out in ragged gasps towards the end. The pleasure within him, nearly overwhelming all of his senses, drove Kotomine to such distraction that he needed all of his will to keep himself from throwing himself onto his knees to joyfully weep.

Gilgamesh grinned.

"Good, now remember your end of our pact." The original Hero reminded Kotomine. Walking up to the trembling priest, he reached forwards and brushed his hand along the young priest's cheek. "You shall spend the rest of your days doing your utmost to please me, understand?"

Kotomine shakily nodded.

Neither of the two even noticed as a duster clad man, the only other survivor of their battle, desperately stumbled away to try and find a survivor within the blaze.

* * *

Kirei wearily glanced at the mirror in front of him. The man briefly acknowledged the deep lines along the edges of his eyes before turning to shave himself for the day. The morning cold seeped deeply into his bones, slowing his motions as he dressed in his robes for services today.

Exiting the bathroom once he was ready for the day, the priest walked through the empty hallways of the church he had inherited from his father. Thinking about Risei Kotomine made Kirei briefly pause in thought, hand rising to his arm, briefly touching the Command Seals that were hidden beneath his sleeve.

Thinking about how his father had left them brought no pleasure to the priest. However, before he could realize what he was doing, Kirei was wandering towards the direction of his father's old room. The priest frowned as he glanced at the locked door, briefly glancing down at his legs suspiciously.

Feeling no trace of Gilgamesh's presence, Kirei turned and walked away from the room, only offering one last glance to the door.

Why didn't the fool stay alive just one more day.

Kirei's fists clenched, imagining they could have wrapped around an imaginary throat.

* * *

Kirei glanced out of his office, still clad in his clerical robes despite the late hour. The faint smell of decay clung to him from one of his examinations of the crypt below the church.

He grinned as he remembered the squirming sacks of meat.

The austere room the man was resting in had a window that faced Fuyuki proper, with a breathtaking view of the cityscape. Under the full moon, Kirei glanced at it with as much interest as one would regard a dungbeetle.

A bottle of wine and one of a set of glasses kept the priest company as he slowly drank.

"Kotomine."

Kirei waited a few moments, rolling the wine around in his glass before glancing over his shoulder. Entering the room, dressed as he always was for bed, was his Gilgamesh. The golden haired man frowned, looking like he wanted to speak.

"What a disgusting mood you've been in lately." Gilgamesh sneered instead. With a casual motion, he went to take his seat, grabbing his own glass. "You didn't even invite your King to share drinks with you?" He scoffed. "Be grateful I show you leniency for your work on preserving my treasures."

Kirei merely nodded, aware of how easily the man could crush him. The priest was still not entirely sure why Gilgamesh stayed with him. The undying creatures that the Hero fed off to maintain the fuel for his terrible weapons could easily be replaced by other methods.

Then again, the priest was a twisted being. It just wasn't his duty to question.

"I will be heading out on another trip soon." Gilgamesh annouced after swallowing a mouthful of wine. Over the years, a resigned note of finality was entering his words whenever he spoke. "I have finished exploring all of Europe."

"The verdict?" Kirei prompted, curious as to what the King of Heroes had found.

"Nothing." He spat back. "It is all worthless."

Kirei found himself wishing he had been able to see Kiritsugu Emiya's death in the Grail Fire.

* * *

"I-I'm sorry. It was just so sudden!" The young woman before Kirei looked utterly devastated. With tears running down her face, ruining the faint traces of makeup she wore to hide a haggard expression, she looked absolutely lovely to Kirei.

"No, I understand." The priest nodded. "It must be...awkward to be in your situation." He kindly responded, wanting to delay the amount of time he could look at the woman in front of him. The priest handed the brunette a tissue.

"Thank you." She gave him a teary smile.

Kirei realized he shouldn't have sympathized that well; the smile that was dwarfing the sadness in her eyes only dulled her beauty.

Seeing the man's slight frown, the young woman worriedly apologized. "I'm sorry. My family doesn't...really believe in this faith." She paused, brushing her eyes with the tissue. "But the...deceased wished to be buried."

Hearing her agonized tone of voice, Kirei replied with a hollow tone and a gentle smile. "Please be at ease. Regardless of what may happen to him when he's returned to the earth, all of us are given our just rewards." His words, chosen to pick at the woman's belief about the afterlife, had their intent as she only grew more miserable.

Reminding believers in Shinto about how the worms would be ravaging their loved ones bodies was one of the few genuine pleasures he had left. Even observing the undying husks had lost its appeal for Kirei over time.

Kirei eagerly awaited the woman's response, but was disappointed as her vunerable expression vanished completely. The female in front of him had clarity of purpose behind her, and she wielded it expertly to hide her emotions.

"Emiya-san always did seem to hate himself the most."

"What?"

The priest stared at the woman in shock.

"Did you say Emiya?" He softly demanded. "Kiritsugu Emiya?"

"Huh?" She blinked, expression becoming more natural. "Did you know Emiya-san?"

* * *

The next time Gilgamesh returned to the church, he found that Kirei Kotomine had ravaged his old office. The furniture had been broken, paperwork had been torn to shreds, and even the walls had holes on them.

Amused at the pettiness in his priest's heart, Gilgamesh had sought his Kirei's magical signature.

"What's this?" The King of Heroes mocked. "Has my absence driven you insane, Kirei?" He grinned as he found the priest.  
The new office had been located towards the other side of the building. Unlike the rest of the church, the furniture was brand new and there was even a window which had been installed.

"Did you use my money?" Gilgamesh's good mood soured as he glanced around the new office. "Just so you could...gaze at that terrible sight?" He wrinkled his nose.

The sight that greeted the King was the church's graveyard. Row after row of tombstones lined the area, a far more boring sight to see whilst drinking wine.

"The view is better." Kirei softly spoke up. His intense gaze was focused out towards the final resting place of his former Master. "It will keep me humble." He paused. "To better serve you, King of Heroes."

But the blond was able to see the content smile on Kirei's lips in the reflection of the glass.

Gilgamesh snorted.

"Liar."

* * *

"I'm heading off now, Shirou!"

Kirei concealed himself. Moments later, the woman that he had spoken with earlier walked past him. Fortunately for the priest, the darkness of his clothing combined with the night helped him conceal his presence from her.

So, the boy that the Magus Killer had left behind was named Shirou?

As the priest joined the foot traffic of salary workers returning home, the idea bounced around in his head. Just like an itch he couldn't scratch, it irritated and drove him mad as the priest arrived at a nearby bus stop and got on with the crowd.

Shuffling towards the back, Kirei turned to gaze out a nearby window. His neutral expression was betrayed by how he kept glancing in the direction of the Emiya home.

He wanted to see the child of the Magus Killer.

* * *

Shirou Emiya sighed as he rolled his neck. Feeling a satisfying pop answer him, the middle schooler glanced around at his school's sports field. Looking off to the distance, he could see the track and field team practicing off on one side, readying themselves for another meet that was going to happen in a week.

The boy patted down his dirt covered jogging sweats as he glanced down the race track.

"Emiya!"

The shout nearly made the boy leap out of his skin. With a guilty look, he turned to look at a group of his upperclassmen. They had varying looks of amusement as they jogged up towards him, all of them clad in the track team's uniform.

"Why aren't you with the rest of the team?"

"Well," Shirou began, drawing out his words as he saw them focus on him. "I was thinking of uh..." His nervous glance at the high jump bar gave him away.

"Still trying to do that?" The leader sighed. The other two with him shook their heads. "You have to be more realistic about these kinds of things."

The boy in front of him clamped his mouth shut, gaining a stubborn look in return. Seeing the defiant look on Shirou's face, the leader made an appeal to the boy's sense of responsibility.

"I know we dragged you into this because we needed someone to fill in on our relay, but you're never going to get better if you're constantly obsessed with this."

Shirou knew he was being petty, but he simply crossed his arms in front of him.

"I know." He replied, sighing. "But we still have a few more days, right?" He brought his hands together, expression practically begging for another chance.

The other boys glanced at each other. Their brows crinkled in consideration as they looked at the look Shirou was flashing them.

They did kind of pull him out when they had no one else...

"Okay." Their leader answered. "Just for today." Seeing Shirou brighten up, he held a finger up. "And this is it. We're going to take that freaking thing down so you don't get obsessed over it again!"

Shirou eagerly nodded.

Who knew that Taiga's begging look worked on other people?

* * *

Disappointment filled Kirei as he hid, discretely observing Shirou Emiya's daily routine. A few months had already passed since Kiritusgu Emiya had been buried at his church and the priest had only had thoughts of being able to continue his battle bounce around in his head.

He had hoped he'd find the successor to the Emiya name, but...

What he had found was less than impressive.

The boy which was exiting from the home showed no sign of being an excellent warrior like Kiritsugu Emiya had been. In fact, the man's senses, which admittedly were dulling these years, couldn't sense an average amount of magical power around the boy.

If Kiritsugu Emiya could be compared to the weaponry he had employed, this boy was more of a...

Peashooter.

Perhaps a slingshot.

For the rest of the day, the priest followed after the boy as he unguardedly went about doing his errands. Kirei's excitement gave way to a cold dread. Towards the end of the day, even as the sun began to sink in the distance, his expression was as expressive as a marble slate.

"It's all worthless."

The King of Heroes' words struck him particularly hard at that moment. Feeling his dreams turned to ash, the priest couldn't help but rise from his hiding place. His body, now feeling as heavy as lead, groaned as Kirei made to move back to his church.

But his eyes caught something.

Something strange.

The priest's vision, which had slackened, sharpened as he focused down into the school yard from his high vantage point. The dull, empty look in the boy's eyes had finally come to life. With a fire in him that Kirei hadn't seen all this time, he charged down the path towards a high jump bar. The sheer determination that the boy showed as he ran made Kirei glance about at the rest of the area to see if he wasn't being chased.

The boy leapt, catching the priest's eye.

Kirei leaned forwards, gripping the edge of the roof.

The boy crashed into the jump bar and rebounded off it, taking it with him as he collapsed to the ground.

Kirei frowned in disappointment, grip slackening.

Then the boy stood up again.

And refused to stay down.

* * *

"Emiya, we're going home."

Shirou heard the call from behind him, but the exhausated boy was only able to half heartedly wave. Great heaving breaths escaped from his mouth as his entire body trembled. The sun in the distance was already setting.

"...that means we have to set everything away."

Shirou tiredly nodded, sweat flying off his body as he was finally forced to concede his loss. Reaching for the bottle of water he had set up on the side of his track, he urgently guzzled just enough to keep from passing out.

His upperclassmen looked a bit annoyed with him when Shirou turned back to look at them.

"I'll do it." Shirou replied, blinking to clear his vision. "I don't want you three to stay here late."

"But..."

"I'm sorry I was stubborn earlier." Shirou eagerly waved it off, expression going placid. "I just wanted to see if I could make the jump." He awkwardly laughed, rubbing his chest in a spot that he had come down hard on in his attempts to jump.

"Then why'd you do it so many times?" The leader of the group gestured, letting the other two boys with him go. The two of them quietly uttered thanks before rushing away. "There's a limit to things, you know."

"I...just wanted to see if I could do it, I guess?" Shirou's lips quirked into a small smile. It looked somewhat disturbing in the dusk sun reflected by the boy's eyes. "But what's done is done. I'll take care of these things for you, sir."

No, not reflected.

More like absorbed into his empty gaze.

Less than two minutes later, the upperclassman had left, glancing back at the Emiya boy worriedly as he quickly left him behind to clean up. Something about the boy's attitude today made his feet move all the quicker to carry him away from Shirou Emiya.

* * *

"Whew..." Shirou wiped his brow as he exited the school grounds. The street lights were coming on as he made his way down a side street to a local grocery. At his side, he loosely held onto a bag with his track uniform within it.

The boy's thoughts were already turning towards what to make for Taiga and laundrying his clothing when he saw a figure move directly in his path from a side street. Disoriented from the sudden appearance of the other person, Shirou was unable to keep himself from bumping into them. He winced as he was forced back a few steps, dropping his bag in the process.

"Oh! Excuse me!" The redhead worriedly mumbled, quickly stepping to the side and bowing for his rudeness. Seeing who he crashed into made worry creep into his tone as he continued. "I didn't mean to bump into you, Father."

"No, it's fine." The priest in front of him mysteriously smiled. The tall man reached down to the ground and plucked the bag, holding it out towards Shirou. "It is my fault, child."

Shirou shifted a bit, looking hesistant.

The priest chuckled at the child.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'the meek shall inherit the Earth'?" He suddenly asked. Strangely enough, the priest had an intense look on his face. "Up until today I had always felt somewhat ambivalent about that, but I think I have to reassess myself..."

Feeling lost, Shirou only made a confused sound of agreement.

The priest flashed a smile and took Shirou's hand with his, handing the bag back to the boy.

"Please, go on with the grace of God, my son." Having said his peace, the man turned and walked past Shirou.

"Uh...thank you very much." Shirou flashed a polite smile at thepriest, but the man said nothing as he vanished into the night. "Huh...what was that about?" Deciding to put the thought away for now, Shirou raced the rest of the way home.

He didn't stop until he was back home.

* * *

"Shirou, are you going to be alright?" Fujimura Taiga anxiously bit on the bottom of her lip. The older woman and her young ward were both standing in the entranceway of the Emiya manor. While the teacher fretted, gripping and twisting her skirt a little, the red haired student was casually lacing up his shoes.

"Of course I will." Emiya Shirou paused, tugging the laces particularly hard one more time than was needed. "I'm just going to go see my father." Next to him was a bouquet of flowers that Taiga had brought with her before arriving.

"I can come with you..." She tentatively started.

Shirou laughed a little, shaking his head as he gingerly gripped the flowers. "No, I'll be alright." He looked up at her, flashing her a tiny grin. "Sakura doesn't know about this, so you have to cover for me this time, okay?" He tried to word things to reassure her.

Distract her from the fact that he was going to see Emiya Kiritsugu's grave after two years.

"Oh..." Taiga's weak demeanor and somewhat shallow smile wasn't quite what he hopped for. "Well, I'll say that Neko called you over on an emergency." She trailed off as he stood up, staring at her from the entranceway.

"Fuji-nee..."

"No, it's okay." Taiga's expression brightened a little. "I'm glad you decided to listen to me, though." She paused. "Kiritsugu would be happy you went to visit." The teacher reworded her previous statement.

Shirou nodded, a bit uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere.

"Well..."

"We can go together next time, Taiga-nee."

His insistance on that surprised Taiga, and her expression showed relief.

"Okay," She grinned. "Well, tell your father I said hello, alright?"

"Of course." Shirou smiled, pulling the bouquet closer to his chest. "I'll be back before it gets too late." He insisted, irritatedly scratching at the bandage around his hand. The bruises on it had driven Sakura to distraction recently.

After all, Kotomine Church wasn't that far away.

* * *

"I-it's amazing, Father Kotomine." Bazett Fragga McRemitz stuttered.

The marble pillars in the courtyard of Kotomine Church were beautiful, gleaming under the moonlight. A vast garden extended out as she was led into the spacious courtyard by her old friend.

Kotomine Kirei flashed her a placating smile. "Well, I'm fortunate that the church provides enough for me to get by on a day to day basis." He humbly replied. The priest glanced behind Bazett and saw the shadowy figure of Lancer follow boredly at his Master's heels.

"Still, I apologize that I took this long to get here." Bazett awkwardly mused, guilty looking away from a rose bush that had caught her attention to look at her former comrade. "I didn't think that last job would've delayed me this much."

"Think nothing of it." Kirei glanced at Lancer. "Would you care for some wine, Hero?" He wondered, wishing to know a little more about the blue haired man that came with Bazett.

Lancer blinked in surprise, but flashed him a grin. "Well, I'd love some!" He barked, eyes lighting up.

So, a fool obsessed with his own pleasure?

Kotomine smirked. "Well, I'll be glad to get you both a drink." He gestured for the two to follow him further inside. "We can catch up on things before I explain what the Mage's Association wishes you to accomplish here, Bazett."

Bazett cracked her knuckles, chin raised proudly.

Lancer smiled as he caught the woman's expression. 'Well, at least this is going to be an interesting battle.' The way she was acting warmed his heart slightly. 'I hope she's good enough to get me a good fight before this Grail business is done.'

Luck was unfortunately going to be in short supply soon.

* * *

Night had descended in earnest, causing the teenager to briefly shiver as he looked around the abandoned cemetary. Less than a hundred yards away, the Kotomine Church gazed over all the rows of tombstones.

"Good evening," Shirou awkwardly knelt at the tombstone before him. Taking the flowers that Taiga had thoughtfully picked out for him, he went ahead and set them on top of the granite surface of the memorial. "How are you doing, father?"

_Kiritsugu Emiya_

_Beloved father and friend._

Of course, the tombstone didn't answer back. Its plain face, with a simple statement of who rested beneath it, would never speak to him ever again.

The dead couldn't speak, after all. Even in this world of magic, once you were gone...

Shirou clenched his eyes shut.

In the silence of the night, he let out a ragged breath - held in since he last time he had seen the grave before him.

"...why did you have to leave me?" He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the stone. "Am I making you feel proud?"

The teenager let his words drift off, letting the calm breeze sweep past him. Keeping an ear peeled for anyone coming or going, he continued on in a softer tone.

"I'm getting better, father." He opened his eyes. A look of determination was on his face. "I didn't want to show up empty handed. I think I'm almost ready to master reinforcement."

His face fell.

'But that doesn't excuse leaving you alone.'

Shirou refused to voice the thought, rising to his feet instead.

"Let me get you some water." Shirou weakly told the flowers and grave, picking up a simple white urn with dried out flowers from Taiga's previous visit. "I'll be back." He promised, rushing out to find the water faucet for the graveyard.

* * *

"I'm really grateful that you allowed me this chance, Father Kotomine." Bazett sunk deeper within her seat. The ornate couch had swirling oak eddies carved into the grain of the hand rest she was leaning up against.

"Just call me Kirei." Kirei crossed over the rich carpeting with two glasses of wine in his hands, glancing at the woman with a faintly chiding look. "Haven't I told you this before?"

"O-oh..." Bazett blinked and smiled. "I'm sorry about that, Kirei." A more natural look finally took over her face. "You couldn't believe what a pain it was to hold myself back."

Kirei chuckled.

Having forgone taking a seat next to Bazett, Lancer smirked as he pushed away from a heavy bookcase to meet the priest halfway. Taking his glasses, he quirked his head towards the closed window on one of the sides of the room.

"A bit of a glum view though, don't you think?"

"Perhaps, but I think of it as showing my appreciation to those that have passed." Kirei shrugged, brushing past Lancer to give Bazett her own drink.

"Still, it's good to see someone familiar after all these years!" Bazett's voice boomed, happy that her old acquaintence wasn't putting up airs.

Kirei nodded. This was the reason that he had actually gone out of his way to contact her. Social isolation was something he had learned to take advantage of over the years to feed Gilgamesh enough power.

Even an Enforcer lost if they were all alone.

Before he could completely pull out of range, Bazett's hand gripped his arm.

"Take a seat, Kirei!" She smiled, pulling the man down quickly next to her. "We can talk about old times, right?"

The priest's eyes widened at the action, unintentionally causing Lancer to stifle a laugh.

'A bit of a stick in the mud, eh?' The Heroic Spirit silently thought. With an enjoyable wine in hand, the hero glanced away from the former compatriots and towards the window.

A motion was caught by Lancer's gaze.

Lancer blinked, glancing out the window. Unnoticed by Bazett and Kirei, Lancer's posture grew tense as he peered out the window and into the night.

'A child...?' No, it was someone older. 'An enemy?' While he wasn't sure, the figure skulking outside didn't seem to be intentionally hiding.

The blue and white of his shirt stood out entirely too much.

'Best make sure. Isn't the first time someone has hidden in plain sight.'

The spearsman glanced towards Bazett.

"Yes Lancer?" The woman had a slight flush of mirth on her cheeks, eyes sparkling slightly as she looked away. Even the priest seemed to have developed a softer smirk. "What is it?" She pressed when the man paused in thought.

"...I saw someone in the graveyard." While he regretted seeing the woman's smile evaporate like mist, Lancer knew that Bazett would want to prioritize this above anything else.

Or so he'd tell himself.

Kirei's expression went blank.

"Let's go check." Bazett insisted, tone steely as she stood up. Looking over to the side, she offered Kirei a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. We'll make sure that no one saw us come in." She assured the man.

"Of course. I have the utmost faith in your abilities."

'How troublesome,' Kirei thoughtfully quirked his head, watching Lancer dematerialize as Bazett rushed out of the lobby. 'Well, I'll have to make this messier than I had hoped for.'

The priest rose and followed Bazett and Lancer out.

"What a pair of hot heads." Gilgamesh spoke up, stepping out from the shadows of the inner garden. Dressed in his casual outfit, he met Kirei at the entrance to the chapel. The front door of the church was wide open, a testament to how quickly Bazett had left. "Are you sure we want that mutt? He seemed sort of stupid."

Kirei chuckled. "It's always best to hold onto your ace for the end, no?"

"Hmph, I suppose so." Gilgamesh agreed, the blond haired man crossing his arms. "I wouldn't want to waste my Noble Phantasms on lesser creatures."

The priest smiled. "I'm glad you agree."

"Go ahead and acquire those command seals, then." Gilgamesh shook his head. He looked put upon. "And do it fast. That wine is going to put her to sleep soon."

"Of course."

* * *

Shirou faintly smiled as he finished adjusting the flowers on the grave. He let out a sigh of contentment, rubbing a sheen of sweat off his forehead.

"There we go." The bit of exertion had done him good, and Shirou was feeling sharp again as he slapped his palms together. He rubbed them for warmth before he continued. "I'm glad that I could talk to you."

"Oi!" Shirou glanced away from the tombstone, surprise clear on his features. A short haired red head in a smart business suit raised a hand at him. "What are you doing out here so late?" A trace was accusation was in her tone, making Shirou wince.

"I'm sorry." He began when she was in earshot. "Am I trespassing?"

"No, it isn't that." She quickly checked the face of her watch, turning her wrist towards her face. "But it's pretty late. The priest was concerned when he saw you skulking in the shadows."

With a start, Shirou realized how late it had become. A look of sheepish resignation was on his face as he faintly shrugged, offering her a dumbfounded look. His expression must have told the woman all she needed to hear, as her aggressive posture relaxed.

"Boys shouldn't hang around places like this." A look reminiscent of the ones Taiga took up when she lectured Shirou began to form, but she suddenly shook her head. The woman looked a bit glum as bowed her head in apology. "Sorry. I get naggy sometimes."

Surprised by the sudden apology, Shirou followed her glance towards his father's tombstone.

"Ah," Shirou awkwardly rubbed at his shoulder. The fresh water could still be seen on the petals of the flowers. "Don't worry about it." He insisted as he rose to his feet. "I better head out now." The teenager dusted his jeans off and began to turn away.

"Hey, wait up..." The woman's weak entreaty made him freeze in place. Shirou almost tripped over his own feet as he watched the woman step closer towards him. "I didn't mean to drive you away. It's important to respect your family." She awkwardly gestured towards the tombstone.

Seeing how serious the woman was looking at him, Shirou let out a quiet noise of confirmation. In response, a brilliant smile appeared on the woman's face, making her almost glow beneath the silver moon.

Shirou choked, unable to stop himself from reacting to the way the woman suddenly looked adorable.

"W-what's wrong?" She stammered, even as he felt a hot blush creep up his neck. "A-are you alright?"

The woman's stammering only made the awkwardness that Shirou felt grow worse.

"I haven't come here in two years."

The admission burned Shirou. The look of disbelief on the young woman's face made him feel like a slug, but the teenager forced himself to look into her eyes. A faint hint of disgust was on the woman's expression.

"Oh."

Her tone became colder.

"Yeah."

Shirou glanced back at the grave. He kept his eyes glued to the tombstone. He felt like a terrible person. Worst was the fact that he only truly felt bad because of the young woman's reaction.

He really was horrible.

"Hoo...now what's all of this, then?" An arrogant sneer cut through the tension. "Two pathetic fools who mock their betters?"

A blond man in an elegantly tailored suit appeared from around a set of thickly clustered trees.

"Not only do you spit on your ancestors, but you both are practically fornicating on the spot." The man looked disgusted.

Shirou was too stunned to respond, but the young woman with him grew enraged, face glowing bright red.

"Who do you think...?!" The woman's words were cut off.

Shirou and the woman were assaulted by a wave of pure, murderous intent.

"Die."

With a simple word and a snap of his fingers, a shining ray of light erupted out of the air next to the blond. Just seeing the speed it was traveling at, Shirou somehow knew it would be impossible for the woman he was with to avoid it-

"I don't think so!"

A man dressed in a startling shade of blue suddenly materialized in front of the young woman, bringing a fearsome red spear in front of the weapon.

Steel loudly crashed against steel.

The weapon, which amazingly enough turned out to be a sword, swung head over head before embedding itself in his father's tombstone. Both Shirou and the woman went pale for different reasons, but they both found themselves simulatenously falling back.

"You were the one I sensed, weren't you?!" The blue spearsman demanded. His features were heavily reminiscient of canines; to the point that sharp teeth were exposed as he snarled his question at his opponent.

The blond merely laughed.

"Oh dear." The calm voice of a new arrival didn't fit the situation at all, but it was enough to make Shirou look away from the frightening blond man. Wearing the outfit of a priest, the darkly clad figure gave the entire situation a placid glance. "It appears we've arrived too early, Gilgamesh."

"Well, this is more amusing than what you had planned, Kirei."

Both men had matching grins, cruelness dripping off their words. The priest in particular glanced at the woman next to Shirou. To his great surprise, she hadn't regained her normal complexion. In fact, she was looking deathly ill.

"What..." She demanded, clenching her fists. A look of utter betrayal was on her features. "What did you do to me?"

"Betray you?" Kirei interrupted. Unmoved by the look of rage that had replaced Bazett's shock, he instead chose to look at Shirou as he continued. "I suppose I have, Bazett."

Now that he had seen the man's smiling face, Shirou could see how hollow the proceeding smile was that was offered to him.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to die along with her."

"You bastard!" Bazett roared, moving towards Kirei. Her entire body trembled with suppressed energy. "I'll kil-"

"Bazett!" The spearsman called out as the woman suddenly collapsed with a shocked cry.

"You dare ignore your better?" Gilgamesh snarled. Multiple cracks echoed throughout the night as six more weapons, each as quickly fired from nothing as the sword from before had been, were expertly refelcted. However, unlike the original sword, these weapons tore up great chunks of the earth.

Shirou could only shake himself out of his daze as the ground beneath his feet heaved. He wasn't even able to vocalized his surprise as he found himself tumbling down next to Bazett. His hand lashed out and tugged her out of the way as a chunk of earth came crashing down where her leg had been.

The woman was deathly pale.

Another clash of weapons and upheaval later brought the spearsman to Shirou's side.

"Kid!" The spearsman shouted at him. Seeing Shirou look at him, he continued. "Get her out of here!"

"But-!"

"Please!" He interrupted. "Just give me your name! I'll find you both when I'm done here!"

Shirou glanced over towards the front. The air behind Gilgamesh was practically rippling with energy now.

A terrible assortment of weapons, each deadlier than the last, hovered around the smiling man.

"Unless you think you can handle this...?"

Shirou ignored the man's jab. "Shirou. Shirou Emiya." He told the spearsman.

"I'm Lancer."

Bazett painfully moaned, causing Shirou to look down. The sound was enough to draw Shirou's attention away from the intense gaze of the priest. Kirei, who had been silent all along as he gazed at the defiled tombstone of Kiritsugu Emiya, twisted in place when the boy had announced his name.

"Go!"

"Alright!" Shirou quickly swung Bazett into a fireman's carry and began to run away.

"I haven't given you permission you to run!" Gilgamesh roared, gesturing at Shirou. Ten weapons were sent screaming at the retreating pair's back, but Lancer was there. Spinning his weapon before him, the spearsman was able to send the earth shattering weapons flying away.

"Your fight is with me!" Lancer snarled.

* * *

'Gilgamesh defaced Kiritsugu's grave.'

The thought gripped Kirei and refused to let him go throughout the melee. Without a concern to how Gilgamesh was doing, the priest continued to focus on the shattered tombstone. Quirking his head, Kirei squinted his eyes as he focused into the darkness of the earth.

Fortunately for Kirei, one of Gilgamesh's follow up attacks caused the earth to heave upwards. It was a simple matter of keeping his footing, and it allowed him to glance a brief peek into the tomb with his reinforced vision.

Kirei's breath grew heavier as he saw a flash of decrepit wood within-

"...Shirou Emiya."

The priest was brought back to reality by those two words. Feeling like he had been drenched in cold water, Kirei's interest instantly vanished as he twisted to look at the voice of the child he had been planning on removing to preserve the sanctity of the Holy Grail War.

"Emiya..." The word tumbled from his lips. "Shirou Emiya...?"

He could hardly dare to hope.

The sensation of warmth, which expanded without limit from within his robes.

A trembling smile, earnest in its profound happiness, stretched itself from one side of his face to another. Reaching into his robes, he drew out a small circular board, which had been urgently buzzing for the last few minutes.

Kirei fumbled the device, letting it fall to the ground due to his eagerness.

By this point, Shirou Emiya was almost out of visual range, but Kirei swiped the board up and pointed it at the retreating teenager.

It reacted positively, heat vanishing from the board.

"Hah...!" Kirei broke out in a sharp laugh. Clutching at his sides, the priest began to let out a rich, booming wave of laughter.

Gilgamesh, stunned by the outpouring of emotion from the priest, glanced away from his opponent. "Kirei?" In that moment, now that he wasn't under constant attack by the enemy, Lancer saw his chance.

"**Gae...BOLG**!"

* * *

"Ha-! Haaah!" Shirou was fighting to stay conscious as he raced down the incline. With the dead weight of Bazett on him, he was fighting to get enough air in his lungs as he desperately tried to put as much distance between him and the church as possible.

Shirou was grateful for the late hour as he used the system of alleys running throughout the city to avoid the few nightowls that were still awake.

"Ngh..." With one final gulp of defeat, Shirou collapsed against a wall, slamming himself and Bazett against it before stopping. Bazett let out a moan of pain, causing Shirou to wince at his oafish action, but the relief flooding his body was palpable.

So it was not without guilt that he lowered Bazett to the ground, briefly fighting the urge to make her comfortable. Moving towards the entrance of the alley he had taken them into, Shirou clung onto the side of the entrance and leaned forwards. Whilst his time was better spent glancing back in the direction they had retreated from, but even that was pointless as he couldn't make out any figures that might be following them.

What madness had he been dragged into?

Bazett made a horribly choked croaking sort of sound from deep within her throat.

"Bazett!" Shirou didn't know the woman, but he couldn't stop himself from vocalizing as he saw the look of agony on her face. Kneeling by her side, he took her hand, feeling worthless as the woman's lips pulled up in a pathetic look of resignation. "Don't you dare die on me!"

Unable to vocalize as the poison continued to sap her strength, Bazett trembled and let out another croaking cry. Her hand weakly gripped the boy's hand as she tried to apologize for her behavior, tried to ask for forgiveness for dragging him into the war...

But most importantly.

To try and save her Lancer.

'Cu Chulainn, please run!'

"La..." She gurgled.

* * *

"Gah-!" Gilgamesh bellowed, bloody spittle flowing out of his mouth. His entire body was curled around the viciously barbed spear slammed through his gut. A look of utter loathing was on his face as he focused on the arrogantly smiling spearsman.

Gilgamesh began to gather power, his very being trembling with disgust. The slight that had been handed to him would never vanish now. It would never disappear until the man before him was reduced to dust.

From within the distortion came a long handle with a pommel.

The smile on the spearsman vanished as he ripped the barbed spear out of Gilgamesh's torso. Gilgamesh only remained standing with sheer rage as he furiously gripped the sword within the Gates of Babylon.

Both warriors looked like they were about to end it.

"Tch!" Lancer suddenly turned and rushed sideways. Gilgamesh's rage refused to allow the spearsman to escape; Noble Phantasms exploded all around Lancer, cutting off avenues of retreat.

"Mongreeeel!" Gilgamesh hatefully spat. "Who said you can run?"

His vision, reddened by the damage to his body, only darkened further as Lancer grinned.

"Ah, looks like I have to cut and run." The telltale distortion of space began to form around the spearsman. "Let's finish our battle another time!"

"No! Get back here!"

The King's demand was summarily ignored as Lancer vanished, transported away by the sow of a Master. Gilgamesh's screams bellowed into the night. His rage, surpassed by the final sight, was aimless.

The night briefly lit as the graveyard around Gilgamesh was annihilated.

Axes cleaved trees apart.

Spears stabbed deep into the earth, violating even the graves of the dead.

Arrows were launched towards the church, swiftly reducing it to rubble.

This and more Gilgamesh did as his injury freely bled out, ruining his expensive suit.

But the worst thing was...

The worst thing...!

"Kirei!" He howled as he remembered how the priest sped away in the direction Shirou Emiya had left. "Get back here! Kirei Kotomine!"

Leaving him behind.

"Fool! You pathetic wretch!" Gilgamesh howled like a rabid dog. "I'll kill you, mongrel! I'll kill you all!" With a furious grasp, the King of Heroes began to draw medical supplies out of his treasury. Once he tended to his injuries, he would hunt down everyone that had slighted him that night.

Then they would die.

* * *

Kirei silently rushed down the streets of Fuyuki. He knew full well what it would look like to the King of Heroes when he ran after he had been hit by that Lancer's Noble Phantasm.

But he didn't care.

The only thing that mattered to him at that moment was to be the one to fight the son of the Magus Hunter. The desire burned within him, driving him to his wit's end. The second thing that Kirei Kotomine had ever wished had finally fallen into his lap.

It would go against everything that Gilgamesh himself had taught him if he didn't seize it. If the King of Heroes himself would stand in his way, then so be it.

Kirei Kotomine would simply have to destroy Gilgamesh if he stood in his path.

Drawing out the catalyst his former Master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, had once used to summon Gilgamesh in the last war, he finally arrived at his destination. Kirei glanced away from the remaining powder that had once been the fossilized remains of the first snake skin shedding. Bringing his fist to the door of the Tohsaka residence, Kirei slammed his fist on the door twice.

"Who's knocking at such a late hour- fake priest?!" Clad in bright yellow cat pajamas, Rin Tohsaka intially looked enraged, but then shocked as she saw the condition that Kirei Kotomine was in. "Good god, what happened to you?"

The haggard, dirty priest glanced at Rin with a calm presence. Seeing his former student begin to relax, the man - bloody from self inflicted injuries to aid the image he was presenting - spoke to Rin.

"You must complete your summons now."

"Wha-"

"You must summon now," He repeated again, handing the bag of material to Rin. "Master of Tohsaka, you must protect your land. Two enemy Masters are looking to take a running battle into the heart of the city. They care little to nothing about the collateral damage they'll cause. We can't risk them exposing us all."

Rin looked scared, shocked by the sincerity in Kirei's tone. She quickly stepped back into her home, allowing Kirei to follow her inside. She fell into step with Kirei.

"What is this?" Rin looked at the bag. "I thought the war still hadn't started."

"It seems there were things remaining from the last war." The priest quickly concluded. "The hero your father summoned during the last war somehow manifested. It's gone on a rampage, attacking one of the new Servants." Despite himself, he couldn't help but tease Rin. "It looks like the war has begun earlier than expected."

"Tch...!"

It was fortunate for Kirei that he had reserves.

A spare Tohsaka Magi and King of Heroes would be more than enough to take down everything in the way of his goals.

* * *

Lancer was greeted to his Master near death, looking ghoulishly pale as her lips and fingers were turning blue. Before such a terrible sight, the spearsman shoved the Emiya boy away and swiftly began to carve runes on the walls of the alley. Bazett let out a gurgling cry, slightly pink foam bubbling from her mouth.

"How long has she been like this?" Lancer's voice was dangerously soft. He didn't stop his movements despite his question.

Shirou, wiping away the blood dripping from where his forehead hit into one of the walls, quickly answered.

"She called for you to come back." He winced as Lancer briefly stiffened. "Then she got even worse."

Lancer slammed his hands on the ground as an array of runes, smoothly sliced out of the building and ground, began to glow with his magic. Bazett's lips began to lose the terrible tint they had gained as the spearsman used all of his knowledge for healing magicks.

Feeling like a third wheel at this point, Shirou moved to keep watch. It was about the only thing the boy could do at this point.

Lancer ignored Shirou, focusing on healing his Master. It was only a few moments later that he had his result as the runes finally breached the first level of the curse placed on Bazett. The outside world lost definition as he dove past the surface level of the world.

Light faded first.

The divination runes allowed Lancer to see the true shape of things. The darkness was only seperated by defined lines of green energy, what he had been trained to recognize as the border of all things. While these predefined borders existed around everything, Lancer only cared to focus on Bazett at the moment.

Everything except for Lancer and Bazett herself faded away, absorped into the light green. His Master's body was blocky in this world, with more lines criss crossing her body as they kept everything that made her 'her' neatly organized.

This this revealed the problem right away. A slithering serpent coiled around her inner being. Even as he observed, the foul creature struck at another of the lines, injecting its foul venom. Bazett's entire being trembled, the boundaries clashing against each other as the venom brought chaos to order, melting the points together.

It was destroying her body using her very own power.

He'd need to set up a grand ritual if he would have any hope of saving her life.

With a curse, the man raised his hands from the ground. His vision returned to normal as the array of runes surrounding Bazett dimmed before dying out.

"Oi, you still alive?" He barked to the boy. "We're ready to move now." With a thought, he summoned his lance long enough to carve apart the runes

To Lancer's surprise, he got an answer.

"Where to?" Shirou glanced back, seeing Lancer take a healthier looking Bazett in his arms. His eyes narrowed a bit. "Is she alright?"

"She'll be better soon." Lancer flashed the teenager a reassuring grin. "And we're going to a mansion Bazett found. I have to set up a ritual to treat her." He mostly explained, trying to dumb it down for Shirou.

Surprisingly enough, he got a serious nod from him in return.

"Can I help you?" He wondered, looking at the destroyed runes. "I can't do that, but maybe I can do something else...?"

Lancer couldn't help but laugh, feeling his mood lighten. "Well, you can keep watch like you did before..." He began, but he only received a frown from Shirou.

"No, I mean, I never learned how to use rune magic." A dreadful feeling ran down Lancer's spine as Shirou finished, clenching his fist. "But I'm a magus. I can help you with a ritual if you need my help."

The very action exposed a stigmata on the back of his hand. It wasn't fully formed yet, but Lancer's keen eye could spot the Command Seals forming.

"You're..." Lancer breathed out. A triumphant grin crossed his face. "You're a Master!"

And so, a new Master entered the War.

* * *

"Kirei, it's almost time." Rin announced, looking away from the clock on the wall. She nervously shifted in place as she tried to focus on the summoning circle that Kirei was preparing. "Are you almost done?" She pressed.

Kirei made the final touch. With a nod, he stepped away from the circle and started walking towards the catalyst that he had kept ready.

"Good," Rin squeezed the ruby pendant she had found. She had been hoping she wouldn't need it right away. Then again, it wasn't like she had expected to have to summon so early either. "Are you sure I'll need this?"

"The Grail, while already reserving a spot for you, hasn't quite had time to prepare your Command Seals." Kirei replied from the worktable he was hovering over. On one side of the table was a ceremonial bowl that was filled with the remains of the fossilized snake skin, but the tool he was focusing on at the moment was the Azoth Dagger that he had granted Rin. "It's unfortunate, but we'll have to use the keepsake Master left you to jumpstart the process."

Rin lightly ground her teeth together.

"I don't like it, but if we have to do that..."

"Oh, don't worry." Kirei softly assured Rin. As the pajama clad girl took a deep breath to concentrate on looking over the ritual for any errors, the priest grasped the weapon and tucked it into his robes. "This will definitely assure that Archer will win this war."

"Why Archer, though?" Rin wondered. "A Saber would be much stronger."

He thought about the last War's Saber, the hint of a sneer on his lips.

"The last one was too rebellious against her Master," He lied. "I've secured another artifact that'll allow us to summon your father's old Archer."

Then he could pit one iteration of the Golden King against another. They had simply too much ego. Neither would tolerate the sight of the other.

Rin started. She looked slightly vunerable as she shifted in place. The hint of pain in her eyes made Kirei's annoyance at the thought of that pure Saber vanish.

"Do you think I'll be able to handle it?" She wondered.

Kirei would make sure she ended up the same way.

"Worried?" He smiled.

Rin dismissed him angrily, giving him the reaction he was hoping to get.

"I just care about stopping those idiots before they hurt anyone." She said.

The ritual began.

* * *

The nearby clock it was past three in the morning as Lancer stepped away from Bazett. Exhausation like he had never felt before wore at him, but the spearman had a relieved smile on his face as he saw how deeply the woman was resting.

"...is she alright?" Shirou walked into the room, holding a pan filled with water and a towel rag. A fully formed command seal was on the back of his hand. It was the tie that the two men now shared.

"Yes." Lancer held his tongue in check, mindful of the presence of his old Master. "The venom halted its progress when the drain of sustaining me was cut off. It was easy to purify it at that point."

"Ah..." Shirou replied, distracted as he looked back at Lancer. The entire room was covered with all manner of runes. "You, uh, made these really fast." He muttered in shock.

"You should have seen what my old teacher could do!" Lancer replied, laughing at the surprise on his new Master's face.

Shirou silently moved past Lancer. For a moment, the spearsman froze up when the redhead hovered over Bazett. His protective instincts over his old Master clashed against the belief that the boy would do nothing genuinely dangerous, but he was only able to relax when he saw the teenager begin to wipe down Bazett's face with a moist towel.

"I always knew Heroes were amazing."

"Kid..." Lancer trailed off. "Yeah, I guess we are." He weakly replied, glancing away from the boy.

The silence dragged on between them.

"I'm going to dematerialize." He finally spoke up. "I don't want you to be a drain on you."

"It's fine if you stay, Lancer." Shirou looked back up at him in confusion. "What if she wakes up? I don't want her to think I kidnapped her or something."

"You're too nice kid." Lancer stated, ignoring the logic bomb that Shirou dropped on him. "Her name is Bazett."

"What's her last name?" Shirou suddenly asked out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"I can't really call her by her first name." Shirou responded in a no nonsense tone. "It's rude." He declared, glancing over his shoulder at Lancer.

Lancer stared.

"Kid, you realize I basically forced you to go along with us?"

"Yeah?"

"Then made you take that contract at spear point."

Shirou nodded, rubbing at his neck with his free hand. The sensation of the weapon hadn't quite left him yet.

"And **you** don't want to be rude?" Lancer questioned, but it was really more of a demand.

"...I only call you Lancer because you don't have a last name." Shirou lamely defended himself. "It's okay at that point."

"-then I don't have a last name either." A weak, but incredibly dry voice spoke up from behind Shirou. Both Lancer and Shirou beamed as Bazett shifted her head to look at them. "What happened? Did you carry me back, Lancer?"

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at her hands. The two remaining Command Seals on her hand were a dull color.

"Where's our contract?"

"Ah, Miss Bazett..." Shirou began, but the woman held her gloved hand up.

Lancer went tense.

"We've got trouble." Lancer announced, walking up to the window in the second floor after speaking. With one single glance out to the woods surrounding the mansion, he was able to see what was coming. It made him curse outloud.

"Bazett, Kid, we've got an incoming Golden Asshole to deal with."

* * *

Servant Archer's arrival to the Holy Grail War wasn't what he expected at all. A chaotic flash of sights were all he could register before he came tumbling down from a great distance. Disoriented by the swift return of his senses, the hero was bombarded with a dazzling amount of information from the device that had called him back into the world.

Unfortunately, the knowledge of how to made his body immaterial came five seconds too late. With a loud crash, he slammed through the ceiling of a home, taking chunks of the wood with him as he came crashing down onto a floor.

Indignity flared within his heart as he threw off the heaps of wood scattered on top of him. Anger was the next sensation to manifest as he wondered just what kind of magus would put a hero through such a thing and then demand their aid.

Most likely some rank amateur.

But curiousity won out in the end. With his head pressed against the ground, he was able to hear the sound of something heavy come crashing to the ground below him. Irritation trailed on the heels of this realization.

His Master had already fainted from the cost of calling him?

No, Servant Archer wasn't impressed at all with his new Master. Rising to his feet, the hero brushed off the sawdust that had covered him and began to move towards the closest door, trusting that the trail of magic she was seeing leading down to it would lead him to his Master's workshop.

Archer had only walked a few steps before the door grandly swept open, releasing a wave of potent energy. It was an impressively wasteful amount of power, really. He wondered if they had been trying to brute force the summon and that's why things had wound up like they had.

The hero silently observed as the figure of a grim faced man ascended the stairway. While the newcomer had the robes of a priest, blood coated one of his arms, instantly dispelling the image of a man of god.

In the other...

"That's a rather disgusting habit to have. In my experience, traitors meet rather nasty ends." Archer observed, looking at the slim arm dangling from in the priest's hand. Three Command Seals were embedded in the back of the palm of the removed limb.

"My name is Kirei Kotomine. Your new Master." The priest faintly grinned at Archer's observation. "Do not worry though, I am a man of peace."

"Is that what you tell all women?"

"Oh no," Kirei shook the arm, causing it to flop a bit. "This was because someone stood in the way of my desires."

"Ah, and what desire might that be?" Archer wondered, wondering what his Master might have been like, but putting the thought aside. It was obviously too late for that. Too late for that girl too, really. "Was it enough to kill for?"

Kirei's smile widened ghoulishly.

"Of course. In order to set aside my ten year grudge, and to finally lay my final wish to rest, - I will be the one to kill Shirou Emiya."

The bland expression on Archer's face briefly gave way to shock.

"Emiya...?"

"Is something the matter?" Kirei asked, blinking as the hero looked lost and confused. Archer even glanced around at their surroundings for a few moments. "Archer?" He tried again.

"...no." Archer reluctantly answered. He ran a hand through his short white hair before he nodded at the bloody arm. "So then..."

"Yes?"

"Tell me who we have to kill next, Master?"

* * *

_Hello! I'm Rin Tohsaka!_

_ I was supposed to be a normal Master in a Holy Grail War, but it seems I kind of fell into a bad pinch!_

_ Now I'm down in the basement of my house! _

_ Like one of those NEETs!_

_ Or Sakura!_

_ Just what kind of fate is in store for my city? And what about those two Servants that started this whole mess in the first place?!_

**Keep your chin up, Miss Tohsaka. They can't keep a good heroine down for long!**

_Thanks, Avenger!_

* * *

NEXT - Dawn of the First Day.

_See you then!_

**Later.**


End file.
